The Ultimate Male Fantasies Get A Twist in New Leningrad Promo Directed by Great Guns’ Ilya Naishuller

Today marks the release of Great Guns’ Ilya Naishuller’s latest promo for Russian band, Leningrad. 

Shot through Naishuller’s own production outfit Versus Pictures (who represent Great Guns in Russia), the music video for ‘Voyage’ features famous Russian actor Aleksandr Pal on the most lavish bender of all time. Girls, drugs, yachts and dollar bills are all sprinkled over a pulse-racing robbery. Knowing he is being watched, Pal taunts police with his drug-fuelled binge before an epic nightclub stand-off.

Director Ilya Naishuller comments: "I wanted the audience to feel like they're watching a typical male fantasy video where something feels a little off, then flip the concept on its head with a crime drama twist. We nodded our hat to a few impossible tricks to denote the imagination of the lead character. For example, old Cadillacs can’t drift, so we used a mix of practical FX and CGI magic to bring that to life. Also, Alexander Pal, is actually well known for his comedic chops in Russia. I wanted him to play against type.”

This year, Naishuller has picked up a number of major awards for ‘Kolshik’, his previous collaboration with Leningrad, a white-knuckle reverse-circus disaster video, including a Silver Lion at Cannes, a One Show Bronze Pencil, two D&AD awards, four Gold Kinsale Sharks, the Berlin MVA Grand Prix and a UKMVA award. Following this incredible success, Leningrad gave Naishuller free creative control over the film for ‘Voyage’.

The whole music video was shot in Leningrad’s home country, Russia, and included a cast of over forty models. The Jacuzzi scene is set in one of Moscow’s most famously expensive hotel suites. Fortunately, being big fans of both Naishuller and Leningrad, the owners of the hotel gave them use of the $12k USD-a-night room.  

However, when it came to the yacht scene, it wasn’t so glamorous for the models. Shooting in Russia in October meant the outdoor scenes were pretty chilly. Commenting on the locations, Naishuller says: “It was only five degrees outside when we shot the yacht scene, so it's fair to say that Russian women are hard as nails! The stuntwoman who dove into the freezing waters is probably a Kryptonian.” 

In typical Naishuller style, the video is a marathon bloodbath and the final scene, shot in just one take, used over 120 squibs to bring the action to life.

Leningrad launched the video on 9th October 2017 on YouTube.